Healing
by TwentyOnePiplups
Summary: The new girl on the ship is having a bit of trouble coping with her circumstances. Can Lance break through her emotional wall and begin the healing process? One-Shot, Lance x Reader.


**So I made this a Lance x Reader story. The reader has a few characteristic traits, my apologies if you aren't actually a different species- but I still made it your POV lmao. It's gender neutral, although more geared towards a feminine romance. Enjoy!**

 **F/N = Friend's Name**

* * *

Like every night since you boarded the ship, you sat against the hallway wall. You couldn't quite wrap your brain around with the fact that it was just you and these guys now. You hardly knew them, yet they were now the closest thing you had to family. The only family you had- the friends you grew up with for years- was gone, along with your home planet. The only one who'd managed to escape was you, by sheer luck.

 **Amidst the destruction, rubble, bodies and fire, you stood, scraped and sobbing. Things you'd seen today couldn't be unseen- they would haunt you forever. You would never live a day where these thoughts didn't wrack your mind. If you even lived, you realized. You had the very same chance that everyone else had, which was one in a million.**

 **In the distance you watched a rock hurl straight towards you. The pebble grew and grew until it grew to the size of a boulder. Frozen from the shock, your life playing before your eyes, you could only stand and blink at the oncoming Y/N squasher.**

 **You closed your eyes, as if it would make it less painful, and crouched into a tight ball. With the clack of a metallic jaw you were out of the line of fire, safely jostling around the mouth of a robotic lion. Wait- what?**

 **"Hey, strap in- it's about to be a much bumpier ride." A strangely colored boy orders- was he tan? It was an odd contrast to your mint coloring- but you easily comply.**

 **The inner workings of the machine rev to life and you reach to grab something- anything- but find nothing to stabilize your shaking hands. You knot them in your lap and clamp your eyes shut instead. Without a second to spare the ship leaps across terrain before narrowly escaping into the stars. You hear the pilot take a deep breath. What was his purpose? Why did he save just me? Were there more saviors like him?**

 **He straightens up, almost as if trying to compose himself and swivels his chair to face me.**

 **"The name's Lance."**

Knotting and unknotting your fingers, you let the memory slip away. That one was not one you wished to keep- you needed the space to keep your home planet fresh in your memory. You were now the last known survivor and had to carry it's legacy as such. The thought is enough to break down the last bit of composure you have, and like every night, you stuff your face against your knees to muffle the strangled cries.

* * *

The next morning you start your routine- dress, braid, moisturize, eat the nearly inedible goop prepared. You keep quiet as usual, observing the chaos around you. Everyone seemed so different than you were used to, both in the way they looked and acted. Most of them were loud, booming men. The princess was the closest thing to normal, with her calm, friendly demeanor.

"Hey, Y/N- you going to eat that?" Hunk asks.

You blink, looking down at the green pudding-like substance. You shake your head wearily, sliding it over to him and dropping your gaze back to your lap. Hunk cheers, shoveling it down his throat.

The rest of the day was full of Paladin training and Y/N boredom. You had already explored the entirety of the ship a few times now and learned everything there currently was to know about the Voltron. Seemed like the only other thing to do was find Allura and watch until you were tired. You knew it unnerved the princess, but she was the only one you really felt safe around.

Soon enough sleep grew near and you half-heartedly tucked yourself in, waiting for the nightly images to cloud your mind. On cue, memories of the past two years flooded your senses. It started off calmly, but the darkness of your past quickly overcame the good. Everything that the core creatures did rushed around behind your eyes.

You sucked in a deep breath, wiping away the cold sweat collecting on your forehead. You swallowed the bile rising in your throat and left the dark room. You gathered your blanket around your form, sliding against the cool hallway wall. The light leaked into the hallway, giving you some slight comfort. Your room was pitch black, which didn't hold very fond memories.

You let out a shaky breath. When did you start acting like this? Everything around you brought back terrible thoughts. The happy time in your life felt like it was nonexistent. You felt so... weak. It felt horrible.

You glanced down to your hands, tilting them back and forth as they glimmered in the small ray of light. Would you be the last to do this? Was there even a slight possibility of anyone else escaping?

You were so caught up in your train of thought that you failed to notice the quiet footsteps approaching until it was too late. You huddled deeper into your duvet, trying to be as invisible as possible. At first you believed it worked, and you peaked out of the blanket hood a bit. You immediately made eye contact with Lance, squeaking and toppling to the side in a tangled blanket burrito.

"What are you doing out?" He asks, raising a curious eyebrow.

Clearing your throat, you whisper, "Couldn't sleep."

He nods, sliding down the wall on your right. He takes pity on your wiggling figure and helps you back up. He stays quiet, knowing it's best not to press you. When you first met he realized that- you weren't one for long conversations.

 **Lance swung his feet to lean against his control panel, crossing them cockily. "And what's your name, beautiful?"**

 **Your eyebrows furrowed. "My name is Y/N."**

 **He blinked as if waiting for some sort of elaboration, but when he received none he cleared his throat. For his next question he tried adding an eyebrow wiggle. "How are you liking my lion?"**

 **You shrug.**

 **He let's it drop. "Well trusty Pilot Lance has you now, no need to worry, cutie. I'll have you back at base and fixed up quicker than you can say fiznibbits."**

 **"Fiznibbits." You said, looking to your right. After deducing the ship hadn't even started moving yet, you gave him an unimpressed look.**

 **"I-it's an expression!" He replied defensively. "Anyway, we're on our way now."**

 **You nod, still unsure what was going on. "Where's base?"**

 **"A little island in the stars- you'll love it. We have our own stereo and everything." He replies, tapping several buttons before gripping the handles. He pauses, glancing over his shoulder at your skeptical expression. "You should probably hold on. If you need, you can sit in my lap. I'm not complaining."**

 **"What's the benefit?" You ask with a raise of an eyebrow.**

 **"You- ah- oh, just hold on." He grumbles, frustratedly.**

Lance assumed you were just a cold race, but seeing you now he knew you were just better at covering up than he initially believed. In that instance he saw himself in you, and decided it was about time to get to know the new member of their team. A week was enough for you to settle.

"I haven't gotten any sleep for about a week." You admit, surprising the blue Paladin. He didn't expect you to speak first, much less offer up that much information.

"You know, I think that's the most I've heard you say since I met you." Lance smiled, and you believed that for once it wasn't that cocky 'I'm so clever aren't I' smile.

You offer a small cracked smile, then it slips away as the silence captures you again. With the silence comes thought. With thought comes memories. Always with the memories. There was no escaping them. Your eyes water, but before you can completely embarrass yourself Lance speaks up.

"What was your home like?" He asks, genuinely curious. He's not looking at you, but at the curved ceiling.

You take a minutes to collect your thoughts, your heart clenching in your chest. Was. What it was like- before it was destroyed. You gulp down your fear and cough to clear your voice.

"Well, during the nighttime it got blistering hot and windy, and during the daytime it was about body temperature but completely still." You croak, a bittersweet smile gracing your lips. You pause, unsure how to continue. You peak at Lance from the corner of your eye, who's now watching you intently. He bumps your shoulder encouragingly.

You take another breath. "Our people were primarily pacifist. We always assumed we were the only beings on our planet, thus we never had to create back up plans for protection. We were a peaceful race, well- before..." you stop, your eyes dropping to your nervous hands.

You jump at the contact- Lance had laced your hands together. You blink, never having received this type of support. You lift your eyes to his, giving him a soft smile.

"My people are all pastel pigmented with glimmering skin- pink hues, purple hues, mints, yellows..." You smile. "My best friend, F/N is especially beautiful. Her/his hair is always-"

You stop abruptly. Lance opens his eyes, having closed them to listen closer to your words. You're now crying, your face hidden under the blanket.

Lance felt guilty to have pushed you, trying to quickly cheer you up." Hey! Hey, it's okay- um- you're really beautiful too! I mean I'm- I'm sure they were- they- oh my god. Um-"

You shook your head, trying and failing to hold back the sobs. He was not helping.

He finally gave up and sighed, dropping his head into the crook of your neck. "I'm so, so sorry Y/N."

You shake your head. He managed to save you, which was more than any of your people had prepared. He had scooped a stranger- a possibly deadly, dangerous stranger- off the streets of a burning planet. He was just trying. You sniff, shaking your head.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." You whispered. "We weren't ready. There was a race that lived in our planet's core- they burnt the air they walked through. Their hearts were as fiery as their bodies, and the uncivilized neighbors reigned down on us without any warning."

"There was no reason." Lance clarified, frowning.

You nodded.

For a few minutes you allowed yourself to be swallowed by the silence. For the first time since the rescue you weren't suffocated with poisonous thoughts, just blissful silence. You shrunk deeper into your duvet, falling asleep within minutes.

The next morning you awoke with a yawn, stretching out and glancing around before realization struck- how did you get into the bed? You were sure you went outside- then it all came swirling back.

Lance.

You told him much more than you ever expected. Why Lance, of all people? He was in bunny slippers. Although you admittedly admired his haughty exterior, you sensed he had an even more tangled inside that no one had taken the time to uncover just yet.

When you reached the kitchen you realized that you were the first one awake. In a spur of generosity you rooted through their cabinets to take note of the ingredients they stocked up on. Surprisingly, the ship seemed to have most of the spices that traditional Kaznykian meals used, so you whipped up your favorite. Within a half hour breakfast was finished, and you set the feast across the table with a smile. It felt better to do something you enjoyed. You picked at your food in silence.

The silence was outlived, the doors bursting open, revealing a ravenous Hunk.

"I smell sausages, where are the sausages?"

Behind Hunk the rest of the crew gathered, their eyes widening at the table.

You clear your throats awkwardly, "well, I woke up a bit early and decided to make you guys breakfast. You've been incredibly hospitable, so thank you. I didn't know what you like, so I made sausages, various puddings, pancakes, ch-"

Hunk interrupted, overridden with joy. He yanked you into his chest. "I think I love you,"

"I called dibs!" Lance butts in quickly, "I am the savior!"

As the Paladins showered Y/N with compliments, Allura and Coran conversed in the corner. The big question; why the sudden change of mood?

* * *

You had gotten through most of the week without a hitch. You and Lance became nearly inseparable- aside from when he went on missions. Pidge was nice, Hunk was funny, Keith was cool and Shiro was welcoming, but for some reason you just wanted to talk to Lance. Lance this, Lance that. What was happening?

The boys joined you in the lounge after finishing their regularly scheduled training, flopping onto the couch. You frowned at their booming voices- you were trying to read. Lance bounces next to you and plopped his legs onto your lap. You contemplated pushing them off, but ultimately thought better of it, sending him a weak glare. He grinned cheekily before going back to his conversation.

"And did you see me? I, like, totally held up our whole team-"

"Well, you are the leg." Pidge pointed out.

Lance gave him an unamused look. "Ha-ha. I meant that kick, I was like,"

At this point Lance bounced off the couch and balanced on one leg, karate kicking spastically. The team wasn't impressed, giving him deadpan looks.

"Come on- Y/N digs it." Lance offered, nodding towards you. You glanced from his unconvinced friends then back to him before shrugging.

"It is pretty cute."

Lance grinned widely and flopped back onto the couch, surprising you with a swift kiss to the cheek. Your cheeks darkened visibly, but you remained silent, a small smile creeping it's way onto your expression.

* * *

After two weeks you thought that maybe you'd escaped the terrible flashbacks- but on day 16 it all reset. It was back, stronger and more powerful than ever. Haunting and painful. In the middle of the night you sprung up for the fourth time, unable to handle anymore. You carefully lifted yourself from the bed and made your way over to the door. It slid open to reveal a sleeping Lance sprawled in front of it.

"Lance?" You asked in concern.

Lance sprung awake, muttering something about monkeys before noticing his surroundings. His cheeks tinged pink before he bolted upright, trying to seem macho.

"What are you doing here, Lance?" You ask.

"Well- I- midnight snack- glass of water- night- and- uh... am I right?" He fumbled.

You blink. "I don't understand."

He sighs in defeat. "Okay, but you can't laugh at me."

You nod.

"I've kind of been checking that you sleep well... every night." Lance admits, tousling his hair. He doesn't meet your eyes, backing away ever so slowly.

"Every...night?" You ask, tilting your head.

"Yeah- um- anyway- what were you doing?" He asks, desperate to change the subject.

You tilt your head, weighing your decision back and forth before locking it in. You take a few slow steps towards him before wrapping your arms around his neck. He stiffens at first but gradually wraps his arms around your torso.

"Thank you," you whisper in his ear.

"Of course, Y/N." Lance sighs. "I have a confession."

You stay silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Y/N, I really like you." Lance whispered, pressing you closer to him.

"Lance," you smile, leaning back to look at his expression, "my people have a sixth sense that most don't. If we find a compatible companion, we immediately form an empathetic bond."

Lance wasn't following- his expression screamed 'wat'.

You roll your eyes, standing on your toes and pressing a swift kiss to his temple, then his cheek, but before you could get to his lips he finally caught onto your gist and met you half way. His fingertips pressed into the small of your back, pulling you closer. Your lips moved in sync. His tongue rubbed against your bottom lip, and you granted him access immediately. Your fingers tangled into his hair as he pushed your back into the door frame, pressed as firmly against you as possible, exploring every inch of your mouth. You pulled back for air, sweeping a lock of hair behind his cute ear.

"I knew from the second saw you- I like you too, just an FYI if you didn't catch that," you whisper. Lance laughed.

For a few seconds there's a lull, as you both let the thought simmer, then Lance breaks the silence.

"Y/N, why were you out of bed?"

You blush, putting a hand over one of your bluer cheeks. "About that- you see- I actually did have a nightmare tonight. I was going to see if I could maybe bunk with you, but umm... now-"

Lance cut you off with a swift kiss to your forehead. "We will sleep. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm here now."

You smile, and for a while, you forget.


End file.
